A roadside prostitute on the prowl, a woman having a nervous breakdown, and unicorns drowned in a Biblical flood.

Such are the characters you'll find lerching through the songs of Shel Silverstein - one of pop's most covered, but least publicly appreciated, writers. Certainly, you know his hits, from "A Boy Named Sue" (via Johnny Cash) to the "Cover of the Rolling Stone" (warbled by Dr. Hook) to Marianne Faithfull's poignant reading of "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan."

Because Silverstein had a greater talent for screeching than for singing, he adopted the role of a background force rather than a limelight hog. But it wasn't only musicians who prized his work. In his 40 year career, the late artist drew thousands of cartoons for Playboy, along with penning scores of plays, movie scripts and children's books. His songs contain elements of all those disciplines, from the heavy plots you'd find in staged dramas to the metaphorical magic of stories meant for kids.

Small wonder so many musicians jumped at the chance to record Silverstein's songs for this new tribute disc. The project found a point-man in Bobby Bare Sr., who has recorded scores of the bard's songs over the years. Like Bare, many of the stars who participated come from the world of country, a genre which prizes the long narratives Silverstein specialized in. We've got Kris Kristopherson bringing his grizzle to a newly expanded "The Winner," a tale of a masochistic bar fly. The Pixies' Black Francis emphasizes the satire in "Cover of the Rolling Stone," (a distinction greatly diminished from what it meant when the song first hit in 1975). Todd Snider brings surprising authority to his "Boy Named Sue," while Lucinda Williams leans into the depression of "Lucy Jordan," in contrast to Marianne Faithfull's more observational take.

My Morning Jacket offers a fresh beauty to the outlaw country anthem "Lullabies, Legends and Lies," while The Boxmaster's version of "Sylvia's Mother," avoids the campy exaggeration of Dr. Hook's original to nail its earnest heart. The most creative take, however, comes from Andrew Bird, who wrote his own fanciful melody for the title poem.

Songs like "The Giving Tree," sung primly by Nancy Griffith, show Silverstein skill at merging adult and children's themes. The fable of a miraculously generous plant, "Tree" serves as a moving metaphor for the joy and sacrifice of parenthood. Since Silverstein's songs could be long, he makes a cool in-joke by titling one piece "26 Second Song." That the cut lasts exactly that long helps this tribute fulfill its ultimate goal - to make Silverstein newcomers want to explore so much much of his wild world.